Delivery of liquid



July 16, 1929. A. E. LVCHORLTON 1.7211101 DELIVERY OF LIQUID Original Filed April 16. 1925 Znven or comprises amongst other features a fuel Patented 'July 16, 1929 UNlTED STATES PATEN oFFIcE.

ALAN ERNEST LEOFRIC CHORLTON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM BEARDMORE, LORD INVERNAIRN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DELIVERY or LIQUID.

Application filed April 16,1925, Serial No. 23,687, and in Great Britain, Canada, and 'France September 24,

a 1924. Renewed August 21, 1928.

This invention relates to the delivery of liquid and is more particularly apphcable to the injection of liquid fuel into the cylinders of a high speed internal combustion engine.

The primary object of the Invention is to convert measured quantities of liquid mto fine sprays and deliver these measured quantities into an air space such as the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, in a manner which will ensure such a mingling of the particles of liquid with the air that in the case of a liquid fuel complete and rapid combustion will take place Within a predetermined and very short time, the flow of liquid to the atomizer being started and stopped with great suddenness and this flow being caused to take place under high pressure. It is an object of this invention to enable this to be carried out in such a way as to permit liquid fuel to be injected into and combustion to be effected in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine operating at high speed. A further object is to enable a pressure which may be of the drder of 10,000 pounds to the square inch to be developed in the delivery passage when the fuel is being forced to and through the atomizer, such delivery being effected by apparatus ,which avoids leakage under this high pressure.

It is thus an object of the invention to produce intermittent discharges of short duration and high frequency and provide apparatus which will produce these dis- .charges V A structure which will fulfill these objects and is embodied in the present invention sprayer with a conduit communicating therewlth and means for delivering liquid fuel at a substantially uniform pressure through the said conduit to the sprayer. A reciproeating plunger device in the delivery conduit serves to impart impulses to the liquid column in this conduit. at an increased pressure which is sufiicient .to cause the fuel to be delivered through the sprayer. An auxiliary feed pump preferably of the rotary type is conveniently employed to deliver the liquid fuel into the conduit leading to the sprayer this pump serving to maintain a substantially uniform pressure in the column of liquid in this conduit the maintenance of this pressure being assisted by providing an expansion chamber which communicates with the conduit. For the purpose of im parting to the liquid column in the conduit impulses at the desired increased pressure which will cause the fuel to be delivered through the sprayer, there may be provided a valve of the reciprocating piston type movable transversely across the conduit and a reciprocating plunger device in the delivery conduit which serves as and when determined by the valve movements to impart to the liquid column the necessary pressure impulses. The valve may be constituted by the reciprocating plunger device, the latter being then arranged and operating so that it functions both as a plunger device and as a valve controlling the delivery by this plunger device.

The plunger and valve device are operated so as to function and effect delivery when travelling at about their highest speed, that is to say, when moving at a speed which is not less than their mean speed and is largely in excess of this mean speed.

By reason of this method of operating the pump plunger or piston and valve device, it is a feature of the invention that rapidly alternating high and low pressure pulsations are caused in the column of liquid in the delivery conduit with the result that the flow from the sprayer begins sharply at high pressure and at high velocity and ends suddenly this sudden cessation of the flow bringing about a reflex action in the liquid column which obviates dribbling from the sprayer or atomizer. It is also a feature of'the invention that since at the point where den livery takes place, that is to say, at the atomizer or sprayer 1n the case of the supply of liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine, the flow which causes injection through the atomizer begins suddenly and ends sharply, effective atomization is brought about and it is possible to obtain an exact determination of the quantity of liquid to be delivered.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved structure of pump and means for controlling and operating the same Further objects of the invention and the apparatus for carrying the invention into effect will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. In these drawings,

Figure 1 shows in diagrammatic sectional view a construction which is intended for use with a two cylinder internal combustion engine.

Figure 2 shows diagrammatically the application of the construction shown in Figure 1 to the case of a six-cylinder internal combustion engine.

In the construction shown in Figure 1, the plunger of the reciprocating plunger device is constructed to act as its own valve. In this construction, the liquid fuel flows from a suitable reservoir A through a pipe A to a gear wheel pump B driven through suitable gearing B from the engine crank shaft H. This pump B delivers the fuel at a substantially uniform high pressure through a passage C containing an expan-' sion chamber D. r

This passage 0 opens into a'cylinder R having a small portion R of reduced diameter. A plunge S, which fits closely within a restricted portion R, is reciprocated in the cylinder by means of an eccentric H mounted on the engine crank shaft H, in such a manner that the piston passes the restricted portion R of the cylinder during the middle part of its stroke, i. e., when it is travelling at about its highest speed. The passage G opens into the cylinder below the restricted portion R, and an outlet passage K leads from the upper part of the cylinder. i

The passage K leads to a two-way distributing valve M, which is reciprocated in a cylindrical casing L by means of an eccentric P on a shaft P driven from the gearing B and controls two delivery passages N N each of which leads to a springloaded atomizer O disposed in a working cylinder. The pressure set up by the pump B is arranged to be insufficient to operate the atomizer valve, but the plunger "S acts to augment this pressure and to impart impulses to the liquid column in the delivery Y passage at a pressure suflicient to operate the atomizer.

In the operation during the early portion of the upward stroke of the plunger S the whole delivery passage C K N (or C K N is open (after the distributing valve M has opened one or other of the passages N or N but the atomizer valve remains closed since the pressure set up by the pump B is insuflicient to operate it. This condition continues until the plunger S approaches the middle part of its stroke when it is moving at its highest speed. During this middle part of the stroke the plunger is passing the restricted portion R of its cylinder R and an impulse at very high pressure is imparted to the liquid column in the delivery passage K. This impulse, which starts very suddenly owing to the high speed of the plunger S when it first reaches the restricted portion R, causes the atomizer valve to open suddenly and a high pressure spray of liquid fuel is injected into the working cylinder. When the to augment the pressure in the delivery pasage but also as a measuring and timing device/controlling the fuel injection into the working cylinders.

It willbe appreciated that the reciprocating plunger device may control the fuel injection into-one cylinder instead of two, in which case the distributing valve isdispensed with and the passage K leads directly to the atomizer.

In some cases it may be preferable to arrange that the pump B delivers morefuel than is actually needed for the purpose of ensuring that the various chambers and passages are always full. This may be eflected by providing any suitable means to take care of the excess supply of oil over what is required for the cylinders.

Figure 3 shows diagrammatically an ar-- rangement for a six-cylinder internal combustion engine, in which'fuel is supplied from a reservoir A by a gear wheel pump B to a chamber D provided with an expansion space D. From this chamber D three passages C lead respectively to three reciprocating plunger devices R (of the kind described with reference to Figure 2). Each plunger device R delivers through a passage K to a two-way distributing valve M controlling passages N leading to two atomizers 0 The operation of this arrangement will be clear from the foregoing description of the arrangement shown in Figure 2. It will be understood that similar arrangements may be employed for engines having other numbers of cylinders and that each reciprocating lunger device may be employed to control t e fuel supply to one of the cylinders only instead of to two as shown.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 2-- 1. In a liquid fuel feeding device for internal combustion engines, in combination,

a chamber having spaced liquid inlet andoutmediate portion only of its travel toward the outlet port, makes a piston fit with the chamber walls for momentarily exerting apressure to force a jet of liquid from said outlet port but immediately thereafter permitting communication between the inlet and outlet ports, means for reciprocating said piston, and a nozzle connected to said outlet for spraying oil into an engine cylinder when said piston causes a jet of Oll to issue from said outlet.

2. In a liquid fuel feeding device for internal combustion engines, in combination,

a cylinder consisting of enlarged end portions and a restricted narrow intermediate portion, an inlet port for one enlarged end portion and an outlet port for the other enlarged end portion, a guided piston closely fitting and operating through said restricted portion at an intermediate part of its stroke and freely into an enlarged end portion at each end of its stroke so that a jet of liquid is forced from said outlet port when said piston is passing through the restricted portion on its upstroke and communication between the enlarged end portions is immediately thereafter re-established through the restricted portion, means for, operating said piston, and anozzle connected to said outlet for spraying oil into an engine cylinder when said piston causes a jet of oil to issue from said outlet.

3. A device. according to claim 2 which is further distinguished in having an expansion chamber connected to said inlet whereby the jetting effect which said piston tends to produce when passing through the restricted portion on its down stroke is cushioned.

4. A device according to claim 2 which is further distinguished in having a pressure operated valve for said nozzle and means for constantly supplying said cylinder with oil under pressure, but at. a pressure which is insufficient to force oil by said valve whereby a jet of oil is forced by said valve only w on said piston is passing u wardly through the restricted portion of 1: 1e cylinder.

5. 'In a liquid fuel feeding device for in-.

ternal combustion engines, in combination, a cylinder consisting of enlarged end portions and a restricted narrow intermediate portion, an inlet port for one'end and an closely fitting and operating through said restricted portion at an intermediate part of its stroke and freely into an enlarged end portion at each end of its stroke so that a .jet of liquid is forced from said outlet port when said piston is. passing through the restricted portion on its upstroke and communication between the enlarged end ortions is immediately thereafter re-establis ed through the restricted portion, means for operating said piston, a pair of nozzles con-.

' outlet port for the other end, a guided piston I nected to said outlet and means between said nozzles and said enlarged end portion for directing a jet of oil alternately to each of said nozzles.

6. A device according to claim 5 in which said means for directing a jet of oil to each nozzle consists of a valve which is operated in timed relation with said'piston to direct a jet of oil to one nozzle on one upstroke of the piston and to the other nozzle on the next upstroke of the piston.

7. In a liquid fuelfeeding device for an airless injection internal combustion engine,

the combination of a chamber inlet and outlet passages communicating with the chamber at axially spaced points; ,a pressureopened injection nozzle connected to the outlet passage; means for supplying liquid fuel through the inlet passage to the-chamber and to the outlet passage at a pressure insufficient to open said injection nozzle; a plunger movable axially of the'chamber; the chamber and said p unger being so formed relative to each other as to establish, interrupt and reestablish communication between said inlet and outlet passages during each working stroke ofthe-plunger and said plunger being arranged to develop pressure of liquid fuels'ufiicient to open the injection nozzle and secure injection while in interrupting position; and engine-operated means for operating said plunger.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALAN ERNEST LEOFRIC CHORLTON. 

